Reports reaching Futball.cf suggests that Real Madrid could suffer a similar fate to rivals Barcelona and face punishment for breaching FIFA rules on the signing of underage international players.
According to Spanish source Mundo Deportivo, Los Blancos have been under investigation for some time, as world football’s governing body FIFA have researched the case, and it appears that a number of the club’s younger arrivals did not meet its strict parameters and regulations.
The Spanish daily also stipulates that the process began with FIFA being made aware of the aforementioned anomalies by a third party, and immediately launched an investigation in order to establish the facts about the case.
FIFA are believed to be nearing the closing stages of their relentless investigation, when it must decide what type of sanction to impose, although it may prove complicated due to Reals President Florentino Perez’s seat in the governing body’s Spainish committee.
Moreover, MD claim that Madrid’s punishment could range from a monetary fine, which would also prohibit the signings of players in a single transfer window, to a complete embargo over two transfer windows.
Also, Real’s city rivals Atletico Madrid may find themselves under scrutiny, although on a different scale, as they have been investigated in recent months for potentially contravening FIFA regulations on transferring young players to feeder clubs.
Barcelona were banned from signing players for the next two transfer windows (Until January 2016) after they were found guilty of breaching FIFA rules on the signings of foreign Under-18 players, although they intend to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport for a reduced length.
A decision is believed to be set for the end of this month and it may see the ban reduced to just one Window.